A 300-level student at Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, has been expelled after allegedly filming a dying fellow student in the university health centre and posting the footage on the social media platform TikTok.
The expelled student, identified as Ezi Ugoma of the Department of Microbiology, was found guilty of gross misconduct and breach of the university’s matriculation oath, following a series of disciplinary hearings held in August 2025. The university’s Principal Assistant Registrar, Ughwumiakpor A., confirmed the student appeared before the disciplinary panel on August 21, 22 and 25.
In a letter dated October 21 2025, the university’s vice-chancellor approved the committee’s recommendation to rusticate the student for four semesters, beginning from the 2025/2026 academic session. The student will be eligible to resume studies in the 2027/2028 session.
According to the committee’s findings, Ugoma filmed the dying student without consent while at the health centre and uploaded the video to TikTok, a move described by the panel as a violation of privacy, dignity and the institution’s professional ethos.
Controversy followed the decision when a presenter with ARISE News, identified as Rufai Oseni, objected on social media, describing the sanction as “unjustifiable” and calling on the university to reconsider. Oseni said the student’s future was now jeopardised and alleged family pressure had intensified as a result of the sanction.
The university has not publicly responded to the criticism. The sanction has sparked wider debate in academic circles about digital conduct, social media ethics and student rights in Nigeria.
